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03-16-1994 Regular MeetingMarch 16, 1994 A joint meeting of the Mayor and Council and Downtown Development Authority was held March 16, 1994 at Howards Delicatessen on Concord Road. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 o'clock p.m. Present was: Willouise Spivey C. J. Fouts Jimmy Wilson Jim Pitts Hubert Black Doug Stoner Steve Shupert Also present were Council members Pete Wood, Bill Scoggins, Wade Lnenicka, Ron Newcomb and Jim Hawkins; City Clerk Melinda Dameron, City Administrator Bob Thomson and City Attorney Charles E. Camp Mayor Bacon opened the meeting by introducing John Wieland, Frank Johnson and Chuck Lesley and stated that they had been invited to offer their input and suggestions for Phase II of our downtown redevelopment which would include a fire and police precinct, judicial building and city hall. Jim Hawkins said he felt the City has an excellent opportunity to build a donwtown area that is planned and will give us an opportunity to adequately provide infrastructure and traffic flow. Most cities do not have that opportunity and we are fortunate in that regard. Jim said he felt that upscale housing should be the first consideration and the commercial developments would follow. Mayor Bacon said that he had met with several businesses who may be interested in locating here but most of them are interested only in leasing existing retail space and do not want to purchase the land for construction. Also, there seems to be more interest in the Atlanta Road frontage than in the area around King Street which was originally designated for retail use. Pete Wood stated there are a great number of people coming into the City through bookings at the Community Center and last year we estimate that 67,000 people visited the Community Center for planned activities, with about 700 of those being business meetings. As Mayor Bacon stated earlier, we have been told by some business people that they are not interested in constructing their own building but would rather lease existing space. It seems if we could get a structure built to provide retail space it would be a good start. The original concept for retail shopping was that the King Street area would be a walking mall. Pete suggested that as an incentive the might provide paved parking for the retailers, which would reduce some of their investment. Bill Scoggins said he had talked with two people recently who are interested in relocating their offices to the downtown area and felt that if we knew definitely which sites were available we could begin making contacts. Frank Johnson said the City is getting exposure through the bookings at the Community Center but most people do not know that building sites are available and felt we would get better results by contracting with an independent developer. Pet Wood asked what it would take to get a developer to consider coming to the downtown are to build for retail space. John Wieland said he thought the location was great and thought with the amenities that we already have to offer in the Community Center and Library, it would be a wonderful place to live. Mr. Wieland said he could see the area attracting a lot of younger, single people who require homes with good security, and no maintenance. The City could also capitalize on the idea that additional parking is available for overflow. Jim Hawkins asked Mr. Wieland if he felt $120,000 was a reasonable price for townhomes or condominiums and Mr. Wieland said it was; the townhomes he built on Campbell Road sold upward from $150,000 and March 16, 1994 meeting - continued felt that those were not reasonably priced. Ron Newcomb said the DDA and Mayor and Council thought big when they initiated this project and felt that we should go beyond those concepts and envision how the area will look in future years. Ron said he did not think we need retail space unless it has entertainment value; i.e., dinner theaters, expensive restaurants. Also, maybe we should consider a highrise residential development rather than townhomes. Butch Lesley said he had spent the last few days driving around the City and felt that the Atlanta Road widening would provide a natural increase in development and felt it would be a mistake to try and force retail into the area. Cumberland Mall will always be the major retail hub for Cobb County and the proposed plans for Cobb Center are excellent. The K-Mart shopping center is now suffering from loss of tenants and suggested that the City assist them with installation of a traffic light, which might help their business. Mr. Lesley said the timing may not be right for retail development now felt that the City should set their sights on residential with some good professional offices; i.e., doctors, banks, insurance stores because those types of businesses bring people to the area. A major food store in the area would also help tremendously. Mr. Lesley said we should not force development, but take it slowly. The architectural design must be right but the City will not attract a lot of retailers that you normally find in shopping centers. The focus should be primarily on professional offices and let the area grow and develop gradually. Mr. Lesley said he thought the proposed location for the fire and police precinct would be good retail space because of the frontage on Atlanta Road and the City may want to reconsider that location. The City has an opportunity to make Atlanta Road a beautifully landscaped and tree lined entrance to the City and an area where people will want to live. Mr. Lesley suggested that we pick one particular site and start marketing. Wade Lnenicka said one thing that Council can do now is make a commitment to good quality residential development because we want to make sure that Smyrna remains a nice place to live. Atlanta Road is a good opportunity and we are working hard to make it a residential corridor. Wade said that we are working with a developer now and should have an opportunity soon to zone a large tract for 200 single family homes. Wade said he thought we could make it a residential corridor and the best looking entrance that we have to enter our city. Also, we have the location that no other city in the surrounding area can offer. Mr. Lesley stated that he did not envision one large major tenant utilizing all the area and thought that would be a mistake and should be developed so that pedestrians will enjoy as well. Mayor Bacon said that some of the property designated -for the police and fire precinct was condemned and we may be restricted on the use. Also, some of the homes shown as residential on the master plan are still not owned by the City. Mayor Bacon suggested that perhaps the DDA could enter into a contract with a developer and Mr. Camp said that he felt it would be legal for them to do so. Frank Johnson suggested that the City amend the site plan to show the exact areas designated for development and then submit proposals for marketing. Pete Wood said we should also explore the possibility of funding through the development authority. Chuck Lesley said he would like to work with the City on this project and felt that before any more architectural plans are drawn that we should make a decision as to what we want in the area and start with a small portion of the land first. Meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.